Entanglements:
Journal of Posthumanities
E-ISSN: 3107-488X

(Article) ‐ Volume 2, Issue 1 (Open Issue)
Between Eulogy and Warning: Techno-Utopian Futures Reimagined in Aaron Bastani's Fully Automated Luxury Communism and Appupen's The Snake and the Lotus
Authored By — Dipanwita Ganguly

Abstract

The present era of the Anthropocene is characterized by technological evolution with artificial intelligence and automation permeating commonplace existence, making discussion regarding its wider implication imperative. This paper focuses on two speculative works, Aaron Bastani's Fully Automated Luxury Communism: A Manifesto (2019), and Appupen's The Snake and the Lotus (2018). Bastani envisions a post-scarcity, post-work techno-utopia where humans instrumentalize machines to generate abundance and freedom from the bondage of labour. Appupen, conversely, envisages a post-apocalyptic dystopia where an autocratic, totalitarian regime of machines brainwash and exploit an altered and diminutive race of humans, imposing strict class hierarchy and ideological subservience. While Bastani offers a progressive, optimistic outlook grounded in Marxist theory, Appupen issues a stark warning about the unchecked power of artificial intelligence. Through multimodal storytelling and allegory, The Snake and the Lotus critiques the seductive promises of technological advancement by portraying its dehumanizing and oppressive consequences. This paper employs a comparative literary analysis to explore how the two texts engage with themes such as labour, autonomy, ecological degradation, and class hierarchy. The discussion also draws on theoretical perspectives from Martin Heidegger, Louis Althusser, Donna Haraway, N. Katherine Hayles, and Rosi Braidotti to contextualize the philosophical underpinnings of posthumanism, technological control and ideological state apparatuses. It is proposed here that Appupen's graphic novel critiques and problematizes Bastani's grand vision of a technological eden.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Labour, Luxury, Technology.

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